world war i inevitability of war june 28, 1914 archduke francis ferdinand of austria assassinated...
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World War I
Inevitability of war
• June 28, 1914 Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria assassinated
• July 5, 1914 Germany issues A-H “blank check” – pledging military assistance if A-H goes to war against
Russia
• July 23, 1914 Austria issues Serbia an ultimatum
The inevitability of war
• July 28, 1914 A-H declares war on Serbia• July 29, 1914 Russia orders full mobilization of its
troops• August 1,1914 Germany declares war on Russia• August 2, 1914 Germany demands Belgium
declare access to German troops
“Belgium is a country, not a road”
• King Albert I of Belgium denied permission• August 2, 1914 Germany declared war on France
– Why??? – The Schlieffen Plan!
• August 4, 1914 Great Britain declared war on Germany for violating Belgian neutrality
The Major Players: 1914-17
The Major Players: 1914-17
Nicholas II Nicholas II [Russia][Russia]
Nicholas II Nicholas II [Russia][Russia]
George V George V [Britain][Britain]
George V George V [Britain][Britain]
Pres. Poincare Pres. Poincare [France][France]
Pres. Poincare Pres. Poincare [France][France]
Allied PowersAllied Powers::Allied PowersAllied Powers::
Franz Josef Franz Josef [Austria-[Austria-Hungary]Hungary]
Franz Josef Franz Josef [Austria-[Austria-Hungary]Hungary]
Wilhelm II Wilhelm II [Germany][Germany]Wilhelm II Wilhelm II [Germany][Germany]
Victor Emmanuel Victor Emmanuel II [Italy]II [Italy]
Victor Emmanuel Victor Emmanuel II [Italy]II [Italy]
Central PowersCentral Powers::Central PowersCentral Powers::
Enver PashaEnver Pasha[Turkey][Turkey]
Enver PashaEnver Pasha[Turkey][Turkey]
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• Many Europeans were excited about war– “Defend yourself against the aggressors”– Domestic differences were put aside
• War would be over in a few weeks– “Home by Christmas”
1914 – 1915 Illusions and Stalemate
• “Fatal attraction of war”– Exhilarating release from every day life– A glorious adventure– War would rid the nations of selfishness– Spark a national re-birth based on heroism
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
The Schlieffen Plan
• Invade western front 1st
• After defeating France concentrate on the Eastern front
• Avoid fighting a 2 front war
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
• Germany made vast encircling movement through Belgium to enter Paris
• Underestimated speed of the British mobilization– Quickly sent troops to France
The Schlieffen Plan’s Destructive Nature
• Sept 6-10, 1914– Battle of Marne– Stopped the Germans but French troops were
exhausted– Both sides dug trenches for shelter
STALEMATE
The Trenches
• Trenches dug from English Channel to Switzerland
• 6,250 miles• 6 to 8 feet deep• Immobilized both sides for 4 years
Trench Warfare Video
• http://www.history.com/videos/trench-warfare
Life in the Trenches
• Elaborate systems of defense– barbed wire– Concrete machine gun nests– Mortar batteries– Troops lived in holes underground
• Boredom
“Death is everywhere”
• “We all had on us the stench of dead bodies.” Death numbed the soldier’s minds.
• Shell shock• Psychological devastation
“Death is everywhere”
• Mustard gas– Carried by the wind– Burned out soldier’s lungs– Deadly in the trenches
where it would sit at the bottom
Life in the Trenches
• Trench warfare baffled military leaders– Attempt a breakthrough– Then return to a war of movement– Millions of young men sacrificed attempting the breakthrough
Battle of Verdun
• 10 months• 700,000 men killed
Battle of Verdun
• 10 months• 700,000 men killed
The Somme – July, 1916
The Somme – July, 1916
60,000 British soldiers killed in one day.
Over 1,000,000 killed in 5 months.
60,000 British soldiers killed in one day.
Over 1,000,000 killed in 5 months.
The changes of war
• New weapons crippled the “frozen front”– Poison gas (mustard gas)– Hand grenades– Flame throwers– Tanks– Airplanes– Tanks– Subs
The changes of war
• Airplanes– Dog fights in the air– Bombing inaccurate– Romanticized the
battlefields– Paris and London
bombed– Pilots fired pistols and
threw hand grenades
The Eastern Front
• Russian army moved into Eastern Germany on August 30, 1914– Defeated
• The Austrians kicked out of Serbia
• Italians attacked Austria in 1915
• G. came to Austrian aid and pushed Russians back 300 miles into own territory
The Eastern Front
• Much more mobile more than the West– But loss of life still very
high– 1915: 2.5 million
Russians killed, captured, or wounded
The Home Front
• Women took war factory jobs
• Received lower wages than males
• Food shortages made running a household difficult
The Home Front
• Censorship – Not told about high
death toll– Romanticized the
battlefields
“soldiers have died a beautiful death, in noble battle, we shall rediscover poetry…epic and chivalrous”
The Home Front
• Censorship “Newspapers described
troops as itching to go over the top.”
“Government reported to the press that life in the trenches promoted good health and clear air”
The Home Front
• Impossible to hide death– Women in
mourning– Badly wounded
soldiers returned home
– Opposition began to emerge
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Sinking of the Lusitania
The Zimmerman Telegram
The Zimmerman Telegram
The YanksAre
Coming!
The YanksAre
Coming!
The war ends
• 1917 – Russia surrenders (a separate peace)
• U.S. joins the war on the Allied side
• Nov. 11, 1918 Armistice
11 a.m., November 11, 1918
11 a.m., November 11, 1918
The Armistice is Signed!
Death Toll of War
Allied Powers Central Powers
42 million served 23 million served
22 million casualties 15 million casualties
Social Impact
• Men lost limbs and were mutilated
• Birthrate fell markedly
• Invalids unable to work
• Ethnic hostility
• Influenza epidemic
Psychological impact
• “Never such innocence again”
• Bitterness towards aristocratic officers whose lives were never in danger